Where were you when the space shuttle Columbia accident happened? - (SIDEBAR)

"I was with a group on a bicycle ride near Hempstead, TX. We took a break at a gas station and someone saw it on the TV inside the gas station and came out and told us about it. Everything got very quiet." - Nancy McBride, KSLA Facebook page

"I was in my house. I felt what seemed like a sonic boom. I didn't realize until that evening that what I had felt was the explosion. It made me incredibly sad." - Shannon Bryan, KSLA Facebook

"(I was) driving through Texas on my way home from a Mexico mission trip. In different locations during our travels, there were shuttle parts roped off on the interstate. Officials just stood around in awe. It was very surreal. I'll never forget it." - Lindsi Heady, KSLA Facebook page

"My husband and I were at home in Avery, TX. I looked up into the sky to see a blaze of some kind go west to east. We had no idea what it was until the news came on the TV. It had to be the shuttle. So horrible." - Karen Rust, KSLA Facebook page

"I got up early enough to watch the return on NASA TV and a local Seattle channel. I learned about the breakup of the shuttle while watching. Then watched the fruitless search for survivors." - Jerry Cox, WAFF Facebook page